The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rs. 1 crore for Kannada meet at Udupi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rs. 1 crore for Kannada meet at Udupi

K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

Bangalore: The Department of Kannada and Culture has recommended to the Government that it release Rs. 1 crore for the four-day 74th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelan in Udupi from December 12.

This despite its reservations against the reported “indifferent” attitude of the central Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) in submitting the audited accounts of the previous annual sahitya sammelan.

According to sources in the Department of Kannada and Culture, submitting the audited accounts of the previous sammelan before seeking the annual and special grants for holding another sammelan is mandatory.

But the KSP had “deliberately” ventured to overlook the norms and got fresh funds released by using political clout, bypassing the department many times, for the “cause of Kannada,” the sources said.

Supported by the erstwhile H.D. Kumaraswamy Government, the department had strictly instructed the KSP that it would not recommend the release of funds earmarked in the budget for the purpose unless the audited accounts of the 73rd sammelan held in Shimoga in December 2006 were submitted.

It relented on recommending the release of funds only after the KSP complied with its instructions, though it was yet to receive the account of some of the annual sammelans. The rift between the KSP and its district units was one of the reasons for the delay in submitting the accounts on time, the sources said.

Aware of the KSP’s attitude, the Government released Rs. 25 lakh to the Udupi unit of the parishat well before it submitted the accounts. But, the Udupi unit urged the Government to deposit the funds in the KSP’s account.

However, the Government had left the choice of drawing funds for itself or transferring it to the central office to the discretion of the Udupi unit as it did not want to be a party to the “cultural politics,” the sources explained.

On the other hand, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, which have a strong hold in Udupi and neighbouring areas such as Mangalore, Chikmagalur and Shimoga, have reportedly promised good funding and other support for the Udupi sammelan.

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